AARP and the left-of-center Economic Opportunity Institute in Seattle describe the program concept as an “easy to use retirement tool” for employers that will benefit workers, and they note 1.5 million Washington workers currently lack access to retirement plans through their employers.

The idea of small business retirement plans has been raised before in the Statehouse, but until now, the financial service industry opposed it as potential competition, because the state would have managed the program. Gary Burris, senior policy associate with the Economic Opportunity Institute, says the difference now is the industry has agreed to do it.

Higher education doesn’t come cheap, but legislators in Michigan have proposed a creative solution for financing college tuition — make it free. That’s the first step. Second step: require the student to “pay it forward” by contributing a fixed percentage of their post-collegiate income into a fund that would help aid future college students.

A lot of people think the federal tax code should be more progressive, but it looks downright socialist compared to the typical state tax code. A chart released last week by Citizens for Tax Justice puts it in context, showing how the wealthy typically pay lower state tax rates. I asked John Burbank, the executive director of the Seattle-based Economic Opportunity Institute and an architect of Washington's failed 2010 income tax measure, why he thought the measure had failed to pass.

Elections are not supposed to be mere window dressing to make us look like a democracy. Voting is the fundamental expression of our democracy when the outcomes are not predetermined by race, privilege or practice. That's why we need the Voting Rights Act.

KPLU explores Washington State's tax system through a week-long series. In their second installment of “Where’s the Dough? On the Hunt for Washington’s Missing Tax Dollars," KPLU takes a look at tax exemptions for farmers and what their role is in creating a fair economy. EOI's Executive Director John Burbank weighs in on the cost of Washington's 600 exemptions, especially when nearly $11 billion of that impact comes from the 25 biggest exemptions alone.

Staying home when you're sick helps you get well and keeps others from getting sick. But there is no law requiring employers to ensure workers have paid sick days — or any other kind of leave or vacation, for that matter. And there's nothing to prevent an employer from firing someone for missing a day of work if they are sick. That's why we need House Bill 1356, which recently passed the state House. Washington workers need paid sick days.

Metropolitan King County Council members on Thursday introduced legislation that would guarantee working moms and dads employed by the county up to 12 weeks in paid parental leave after a birth, adoption or new placement of a foster child. Dr. Marilyn P. Watkins, Policy Director of the Economic Opportunity Institute says, “We know that babies thrive best when their parents can spend those first weeks of life with them, with lasting benefits for their health and development.”

A bill that would allow employers to pay seasonal teen workers the lower federal minimum wage passed out of a Senate committee last week. Supporters argue that the measure, Senate Bill 5421, would help small businesses stay competitive and offer more motivation to hire teenagers. Opponents of the bill, however, say lowering the wage more than $2 below the state minimum would hurt the youngest workers more than might be expected. EOI's Marilyn Watkins says cutting teen wages would damage students and families. “Teen workers along with everyone else need to receive fair compensation for their labor."